Identifying and developing new pharmaceuticals is a multibillion dollar industry in the U.S. alone. Gene specific transcription factors provide a promising class of targets for novel therapeutics directed to these and other human diseases. Urgently needed are efficient methods of identifying pharmacological agents or drugs which are active at the level of gene transcription. Methods amenable to automated, cost-effective, high throughput drug screening have immediate application in a broad range of domestic and international pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug development programs. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is an immunomodulatory cytokine secreted by macrophages, activated monocytes and B-cells. IL-12 is an important regulator of the effector phase of cell-mediated immunity, providing a crucial link in immune system survellance for cellular infection, transformation, etc. For example, IL-12 is the most potent NK cell stimulator known, IL-12 stimulates the differentiation of naive CD4+T cells to the TH1 subset, and stimulates the differentiation of CD8+T cells into mature, functionally active CTLs.
As such, IL-12 signal transduction provides an important target for pharmaceutical intervention in the immune system, especially autoimmunity. Accordingly, it is desired to identify agents which specifically interfere with transduction of IL-12 signalling. Unfortunately, the reagents necessary for the development of high-throughput screening assays for such therapeutics are unavailable.
Relevant Literature
A subunit of the IL-12 receptor is described in Chua et al. (1994) J. Immunol 153, 128-136. Yamamoto et al (1994) Mol and Cell Biol 14:4342-4349 and Zhong et at. (1994) 91:4806-4810 disclose a mouse protein, reStat 4, with sequence similarity to hStat 4.